Former U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema admitted under oath that she carried on a sexual affair with her married bodyguard in at least five cities while still serving in office, according to deposition testimony now at the center of a federal lawsuit brought by the man's ex-wife.
The July 31 deposition, portions of which surfaced in court filings and were first reported by The Sun, includes Sinema's own account of how the relationship with security detail member Matthew Ammel began and where it continued. Alongside the testimony, a trove of private messages between Sinema and Ammel paints a picture of a relationship that Ammel's ex-wife, Heather Ammel, says destroyed a 14-year marriage and a family with three children.
Heather Ammel is suing Sinema under North Carolina's "alienation of affection" statute, sometimes called the state's "homewrecker law," one of a handful of state laws that allow a spouse to seek damages from a third party who allegedly interfered in a marriage. She is seeking at least $75,000 in damages. An evidentiary hearing in the federal case is scheduled for August 19.
Matthew Ammel, a retired Army veteran, joined Sinema's private security detail after leaving the military in 2022. The role took him across the country and overseas, accompanying the then-senator to locations including Napa Valley, Las Vegas, and Saudi Arabia, as AP News reported.
Sinema testified that she learned in December 2023 that Ammel was married with three children. The sexual relationship, she said, did not begin until roughly five months later, around Memorial Day 2024.
Her description of the first encounter was blunt. During her sworn deposition, Sinema stated:
"We were staying at an Airbnb in Napa, California. We were outside. Matt kissed me. We went inside and had sex."
From there, Fox News reported, Sinema confirmed that sexual encounters continued across multiple cities: New York City, Washington D.C., Aspen, Colorado, and Phoenix. She acknowledged knowing Ammel was married with three children during every one of those encounters.
The lawsuit gained a new dimension when private messages between Sinema and Ammel became part of the case record. Heather Ammel discovered what her lawsuit describes as "romantic and lascivious" messages between her husband and the former senator on the Signal messaging app in early 2024.
One message from Sinema to Ammel, which Heather Ammel read aloud during proceedings, captures the tone of the communications:
"I hope your day was okay. Thinking of you. I am with you. I keep waking up during my sleep and reaching over for your arms to hold me."
That message, combined with the deposition testimony, forms a key part of Heather Ammel's claim that Sinema actively pursued the relationship with full knowledge of Ammel's family situation.
Heather Ammel's complaint paints the marriage in stark terms. The lawsuit states that she and Matthew Ammel had "a good and loving marriage" built on "genuine love and affection" before Sinema's alleged interference. The couple had been married for 14 years and were raising three children together.
The legal theory is straightforward under North Carolina law. Alienation of affection does not require proof of a sexual relationship alone. The plaintiff must show that a genuine marriage existed, that the defendant's conduct destroyed the love and affection in that marriage, and that the defendant's actions were a proximate cause of the breakdown. Heather Ammel's filing argues that Sinema pursued Matthew Ammel despite knowing he was married, and that the affair led directly to the collapse of the family.
The lawsuit was originally filed in North Carolina state court. It drew wider attention after being moved to federal court, a procedural shift that typically occurs when the parties reside in different states and the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000.
Sinema has not responded publicly to requests for comment on the lawsuit. Her legal strategy, however, has taken shape in court filings.
Breitbart reported that Sinema's defense centers on the argument that the sexual relationship did not occur on North Carolina soil until after the Ammels had already separated. If successful, that argument could undercut the claim that Sinema's conduct caused the marital breakdown, since North Carolina's statute requires the interference to have damaged an intact marriage.
Sinema's legal team also attempted to subpoena therapy records from Heather Ammel's therapist. Heather Ammel's attorney contested that move, and the subpoena was blocked. The fight over those records suggests Sinema's defense may seek to argue that the marriage was already troubled before any affair began.
Investigators and the court will need to determine the precise timeline of the marital breakdown relative to the affair. Whether the Ammels' separation predated or followed the Memorial Day 2024 encounter in Napa could prove decisive.
The facts in the record raise questions that extend beyond the civil lawsuit itself. Sinema was a sitting United States senator when the affair allegedly began. Ammel was a member of her personal security detail, a subordinate role by any reasonable definition. The dynamic between an elected official and a paid protector carries an inherent power gap that no deposition testimony can erase.
Sinema left the Senate in January 2025 after choosing not to seek reelection. She had switched her party affiliation from Democrat to Independent in December 2022, a move that alienated her from both major parties. The affair, which began in mid-2024 while she still held office, now threatens to define the final chapter of her political career in ways no policy vote ever could.
The August 19 evidentiary hearing will be the next critical moment in the case. At that proceeding, the court will likely evaluate the strength of the evidence, including the deposition testimony and the messages, and could rule on preliminary matters that shape whether the case proceeds to trial.
Heather Ammel's $75,000 damages floor is a legal minimum required for federal jurisdiction. The actual amount she seeks could climb depending on what the court permits. North Carolina's alienation of affection statute has produced six-figure and even seven-figure verdicts in past cases, though outcomes vary widely.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether any additional legal actions are being considered by either party. Sinema's silence outside the courtroom has been total. Inside it, her own words have done plenty of talking.
When a former senator testifies under oath about sleeping with a married employee and the only legal question left is which state line it happened behind, the institution has already lost something no verdict can return.
